


Traitor of Zaron

by ProdigyBlood



Category: South Park
Genre: Angst, F/M, High Jew Elf King, M/M, Other, Princess Kenny McCormick, Romance, Stick of Truth AU, Story excerpts
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-21
Updated: 2019-06-14
Packaged: 2019-06-30 16:37:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 15,024
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15755643
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ProdigyBlood/pseuds/ProdigyBlood
Summary: As dusk falls over Zaron, the High Jew Elf King receives an unexpected visitor...





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is the result of me having a bad day at work and just wanting to write something K2/Princess Kenny related to cheer myself up. I had no plan and just sort of wrote whatever came to me, so sorry if it’s not great. Also sorry that it turned out to be an excerpt from the middle of a bigger story that I haven’t written and probably never will (although, perhaps - if I feel inspired - this’ll get more chapters that add a bit more insight. Who knows? Certainly not me haha)

Dusk was falling in Zaron, leaving the sky a spectacular mix of purple and red hues. The high king watched from his throne, mesmerised by the natural beauty that still graced them even in these troubling times. 

His peace was disturbed by the double doors of the throne room creaking opening and the light steps of his most loyal subject approaching. 

“My Liege.” Ranger Stan bowed in front of his king, his head lowering to an embarrassing level. If Kyle had told him once, he’d told him a hundred times but Stan believed in the correct etiquette when they were not alone, which they rarely were. As a king, Kyle was rarely without his royal guard. “You have a, uh, _visitor_.” 

“A visitor?” Kyle’s interest peaked as he read Stan’s tone. The ranger seemed less than pleased to be announcing the presence of their mystery guest. 

“Yes, Sire.” Stan finally rose from his bow. “I found her trying to waltz in like she owned the place. I was going to lock her straight in the dungeons but she insisted you’d want to see her. I’m sorry.”

So his guest was a female? It was rare to have a visit from the fairer sex in these dark times and, judging from Stan’s scowl, it wasn’t Wendy, the leader of the girl’s tribe. That left only one person he could think of. Before he could decide whether he actually wanted to see her, she was striding in, shooing away the guard who tried to stop her. 

“Get your hands off me,” she sniped over her shoulder. As her pretty head twisted back to the king, her scowl morphed into a smirk. “Hi, Kyle.” Kyle felt his stomach flip. He tried to keep his face emotionless. 

“You will address the High Jew Elf King with respect,” Stan said, his fingers dancing to the hilt of his blade. Kyle could tell he was itching to use it but attacking Princess Kenny would only start a war they were not capable of winning. 

“It’s fine, Stan,” he said. “You may leave us.”

“But – ” One firm look from Kyle and Stan sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose momentarily before nodding and striding from the throne room. If looks could kill, the princess would have dropped dead as the ranger passed her. She just smiled and wiggled her fingers flirtatiously at him in return. 

“What’re you doing here, Princess?” 

Kenny waltzed over, her hips swaying with each step. She really was the most beautiful woman Kyle had ever laid eyes on, but sometimes beauty disguised the sharpest of blades and Kyle knew better than most that Princess Kenny was dangerous and tricky.

“Can’t a girl pop over to say hello?” She twisted a golden curl between her long fingers, her eyes wide and innocent as they stared up at the elf king. 

“You and I both know that when it comes to you, there’s always an ulterior motive,” Kyle said, keeping his gaze hard. He would not let her trick him again. 

“Aw, Kyle,” she pouted. “That’s not fair. I missed you.” Suddenly she was in front of him, so close he could see the specs of dark blue that decorated her otherwise sky blue eyes. Her lashes were full and dark and fluttered in an almost hypnotic way as she gave Kyle what he could only describe as puppy-dog eyes. The king gulped.

“You betrayed us,” he managed to say. “For that fatass.”

“I betray everyone for everyone.” She waved his comment away flippantly. “You’re my favourite, though, Ky.” 

“And you are a traitor of the Drow-Elves,” Kyle said. 

“Little harsh.” She pouted. “All I did was help out the people of Kupa Keep a little bit. I mean, technically I _am_ a human, you know, so they kinda _are_ my people.” 

“You swore allegiance to the elves!” 

“I’m a princess! People swear allegiance to _me_.” 

Kyle rubbed at his temples and sighed. This was getting him nowhere; he’d be better off calling back Stan and having him lock her up. She had betrayed them after all. She had stolen the Stick of Truth and taken it to Kyle’s sworn enemy. The night before their fucking wedding.

“Look, Kenny, you can’t be here. I can’t do this, okay? You need to go.”

“Go?” She repeated the word blankly, as if she had no understanding of its meaning. “But, Kyle – ”

He couldn’t look at her any longer. It hurt too much. He had loved her and she had betrayed him. The worst of all was that he knew she would do it again. The princess played by her own rules and everything she did was for her own benefit. 

Instead he fixed his gaze back out the castle window. In the short while his unwelcome guest had been in his presence, the sky had blackened and the stars had started to whisper their secrets to the world below, twinkling brighter with each one they shed. 

He tensed as the princess wound her arms around his middle, her forehead pressing between his shoulder blades. “I made a mistake,” she whispered. “I got scared and I ran away.”

“You took the stick.”

“If it makes you feel better, I brought it back.”

_That_ got Kyle’s attention. He turned around to face her, missing her arms around him the moment they released him. 

“Where is it?”

From a fold in her pink dress, Kenny removed the item in question. To the untrained eye it looked unremarkable. It looked like any other stick one might pick up in the forest below. To those who wield magic, however, it radiated with power. It had limitless power and the one to control it controlled the whole of Zaron. Kyle himself didn’t care for ultimate power but that didn’t mean that he wanted his arch nemesis, the Grand Wizard King, to possess it, either. Especially as the Wizard King was such a despicable person; a person who had ended a thousand year peace between the humans and elves overnight over a simple disagreement. 

“It’s yours if you want it,” Princess Kenny said, holding it out. “I never should have taken it. I’m sorry.” Kyle reached for it but hesitated. 

“What’s the catch?”

“There isn’t one.”

“Come off it, Kenny. With you there’s _always_ a catch.” 

“It stings to know that’s how you think of me.”

“How am I meant to think of you?” Kyle demanded. “You as good as left me on the altar. You gave the ultimate power to the enemy and doomed the elves to an unsafe existence where that fatass could literally banish us from time and space with the stick that _you stole_ if he so wished.” 

“When you put it like that…” Kenny lowered her head, her golden curls falling into her face. She did genuinely look remorseful but Kyle had been tricked by her before.

“Did you ever even love me?”

She looked up again at that, a sudden fierceness in her blue eyes. “Of _course_ I did!” She faltered as she noticed his expression. “Don’t you believe me?” 

“How am I meant to?” he asked. He wanted to believe her, of course he did, but it was hard. Stan had told him she was probably a spy of the wizard king all along, sent to infiltrate the kingdom and steal the stick. How was Kyle meant to believe otherwise after all she did? 

“Because you know me.”

“I _thought_ I did.”

“None of it was a lie.” Her tone begged him to believe her. Her large eyes brimmed with sincere tears. Kyle felt his heart falter. He reached out, his palm pressing against her cheek. Her eyes fluttered shut at the touch and, for a moment, Kyle allowed himself to stroke his thumb against her soft flesh. His other hand found hers, the one still clutching the stick, and he traced circles on the skin between her thumb and forefinger, relishing in the feeling of touching her. 

And then, as all moments have to, that moment ended. 

“Guards,” he said, his voice cracking. “Escort the princess to the dungeons.” 

“Kyle?” Her eyes opened, the beautiful blue orbs full of questions and hurt.

Kyle pulled his hand away from hers, taking the stick with him. 

“I can’t trust you,” he told her. “That would be fine if it was just us, but I’m a king, Kenny. If you betray me, it’s my people who suffer. I can’t allow that.” 

“I guess you have to do what you have to do,” Kenny said sadly as two armed guards approached her. “But I _will_ prove to you, Kyle. I’ll prove to you that it wasn’t a lie.” 

Kyle wished he could believe her. He watched her be escorted out, head held high, unwilling to appear anything other than regal despite her breaking heart. 

As the door closed behind them, he shifted his gaze to the stick, clenched tightly in his fist. For a moment he allowed himself to wonder what would happen if he squeezed just that little bit harder. For a moment he wondered what life would be like if he destroyed the ultimate weapon. 

He couldn’t do it, though. Just as he couldn’t make his heart forget the Princess. 

Perhaps it was weakness but Kyle chose to believe it was strength. 

After all, it took all his strength not to chase after the Princess and cling to her. It took all his strength not to shower her with kisses and declarations of love. 

Weakness or strength, it didn’t matter. Their love was doomed and he was cursed to nurse a broken heart for the rest of his days. 

At least he had the stick back. At least he could protect his people from the humans once more. At least _that_ particular darkness had passed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bit angsty, sorry haha 
> 
> If I _do_ do more chapters, they’ll probably just continue to be excerpts of the pairs relatonship together. I have too many other things to be working on to actually start a new fully fledged fic


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How Princess Kenny and King Kyle met

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I wrote another chapter! Yay! Maybe there will even be more to come... 
> 
> ...Who has time to edit anyway? Hopefully it’s okay haha

Princess Kenny grumbled under her breath as she marched through the thicket. Thorns snagged at the hem of her dress, ripping the already dirty fabric. She’d been walking nearly all night. The sun had almost risen and yet she hadn’t stopped to rest once. She was fuelled by anger. That self-centred, fat bastard of a king had pissed her off one too many times. 

_“Well, Kinneh, maybe if you want the people to take you seriously, you should consider my proposal.”_

“Yeah fucking right,” Kenny said aloud, pushing a branch out of her face. Like hell would she marry that doucheturd. She didn’t need to be, nor have, a man by her side to be taken seriously. She would show them all. She was going to sneak right into the Elves Kingdom and steal the Stick and then there would be no question about how capable and awesome she truly was. 

“Halt!” 

The scowl that formed across the princess’ face was gone by the time she turned around to smile at the elf pointing an arrow in her face. 

“That’s Princess Kenny,” one of the two guards whispered, nudging his companion in the ribs. 

“What are you doing so far from home, Princess?”

“I’m just out on a walk,” she said chirpily. “Nothing wrong with that, huh, boys?”

“You’re in Elven territory.” The speaker looked unsure. Kenny wondered if his orders were to shoot any human’s on sight and, if so, whether her princess status and self-admittedly good looks were what was stopping him. She bit her lip in a purposefully nervous gesture and raised a hand to her chest, clutching at her heart as if frightened. 

“I am? Oops, I guess I wandered a little too far. Silly me.” 

The two elves exchanged looks. The taller of the two sighed. 

“We can escort you back to the boarder. You should return to your castle, Princess. It’s not safe out here.”

“Oh, how kind~!” She fluttered her eyelashes. Perhaps it was a little vain that she knew how good she looked, but damn if a girl wasn’t going to utilise her natural given gifts to her advantage. 

As she expected, the guards were smitten. They smiled kindly at her, waiting for her to join their side so they could walk her back across the boarder. Kenny joined them in the middle, linking arms with them both and releasing a small giggle as they flushed red. 

“Lead the way, boys~”

She let them guide her for precisely three steps before she acted. She was dainty in stature but it was simply _foolish_ for anyone to believe she was harmless. The muscles in her arms might not bulge like the guards she was linked with, but they were there and they were strong. She twisted her body, forcing the two guards into one another, where they slammed foreheads before they could even register what she was doing. 

Not only were her arms stronger than they appeared, they were also surprisingly nimble and the pink bow on her back was suddenly in her hands, notched with an arrow. She drew the arrow back and sent it flying before the first elf could righten himself. It pierced his heart, dropping him instantly. 

“You bitch – ” The remaining guard managed to growl before he, too, was downed by an arrow to the chest. 

“Just a pretty face am I, Cartman?” she said, slipping the bow back into place on her back. “I’ll show you, fatass.”

She continued on her way, humming as she walked. 

 

Breaking into the castle was surprisingly easy, almost as if they _wanted_ somebody to steal the Stick. Kenny could have scoffed if she wasn’t being exceptionally careful not to make a noise. 

The room that held the Stick was empty. Fancy that, _empty_. Sure, there had been guards on every entrance but they had been easy enough to take down. It was almost too easy. Embarrassingly, really. Kenny should have suspected something was amiss earlier. 

“The stories don’t do you justice, your majesty.” For her credit, Kenny didn’t outwardly jump. Her hitched breath was barely audible. She took only a second to compose herself. 

“Neither do yours,” she said, appraising the elf that casually leaned against the wall, watching her. He had seemingly appeared from nowhere but the princess couldn’t say she minded. Nobody had ever told her the elf king was _hot._

If she’d known that, she’d have broken in a long time ago. 

“Uh, thanks?” Oh, he was blushing, his face turning a shade lighter than his brilliant hair. That was _too cute_! The king composed himself quickly, pushing himself off the wall to walk over to her. “Did you really think it would be this easy to steal the Stick?”

“Actually, no. I was expecting more guards. What gives, Sweetcheeks? You running low on cash or something?” 

“Please. We were alerted to your presence when you killed two of our own in the forest. The trees have eyes, Princess.”

“So you personally decided to greet me? Oh you darling.” 

“What can I say? A princess should be greeted by royalty.” 

“A true gent.” Kenny knew she should be figuring out a means of escape but she was enjoying herself too much. Sure, she’d killed several of his men so he was probably pissed about that but she hadn’t failed to notice how his emerald eyes had scanned her appraisingly. She wasn’t the only one appreciating the view right now. 

“The stories didn’t tell of your proficiency with the bow,” Kyle said after a beat. 

“What _do_ the stories say about me?” She was curious as to what the elves whispered about her. 

“That the Wizard King found you battered and bruised – near death – and decided you would be useful. You are, by far, the most beautiful lady in all the kingdoms after all, and beauty can be an excellent weapon. Is that why he sent you?”

“Would you believe me if I told you he _didn’t_ send me?” 

“So you’re on your own team?” Kyle hitched an eyebrow. God damn, he _really_ was cute. Kenny wasn’t sure she wanted to leave him and return to the double chins and rolls of fat belonging to the _other_ king she knew. 

“Always.”

“Then that makes you especially dangerous.” For his credit, the king didn’t seem afraid. If anything, he was obviously intrigued. 

“You’ve no idea.” She flashed a toothy smile that would have made any other man wilt. She liked that Kyle kept his composure; it just made her all the more determined to win him. 

“So what do _you_ want with the Stick of Truth?” 

“Me? Nothing. I was planning on giving it to the fatass to prove I’m more than a pretty face.” Kyle’s lips twitched as she called King Cartman ‘fatass’. 

“He doesn’t see your worth?”

“He doesn’t see much of anything past the huge gut of his.” Kenny shrugged. She had proven herself time and time again and yet still she was underestimated and brushed off. She wouldn’t stand for it. She deserved better and if it wouldn’t be handed to her then she would just have to take it. 

Kyle laughed. “I didn’t expect you to hate the wizard king so much.”

“Are you kidding? You know why I ruined my dress getting here? The bastard basically told me nobody takes me seriously and that if I were to marry him then maybe he, being a ‘man’, could make sure I was set up for life. He near enough told me to get back in the kitchen!”

“What a bastard.”

“I know!” Kenny was liking Kyle more and more. Although she was sure the king would eventually summon his royal guard to take her away, in this precise moment she was enjoying herself immensely. She felt valued for herself as a person and not for her voluptuous bosom and angelic looks. Sometimes being the fairest in all the lands could suck. 

“So why’d you stay with him?” the king enquired curiously. 

“I was the daughter of the town’s drunk before Cartman found me. I’m a princess in name only and, sue me, I enjoy the luxuries.”

“Pretty thing like you, you could easily find a wealthy husband. Uh, or wife?” 

“Have you not been listening?” Kenny crossed her arms, scowling a little. “I’m nobody’s possession. If I marry, it’ll be for love. That doesn’t mean I won’t take full advantage of a situation that’s literally handed to me, though.” 

Kyle chuckled nervously, holding up his hands. “Sorry,” he apologised, sounding genuine. “I didn’t mean it to sound as shitty as it came out.” 

Kenny blew a curl of gold from her face but smiled. He was even cuter when he was embarrassed, how was she supposed to stay mad? She smiled slyly. 

“I’ll forgive you for a kiss.”

“A kiss, huh?” 

“Oh come on, I know you want to kiss me, sweetcheeks.” 

Kyle took a step closer to her. “I do, do I?”

“ _Everyone_ wants to kiss _me_.” She took a step, closing the distance between them. The kings hands brushed her bare arms, sending shivers down her spine that she would never admit to in a million years. 

He was half a head taller than her and had to tilt his head for his lips to be anywhere near hers. They brushed lightly against her cheek as he gently pushed her arms behind her back, pinning her wrists together behind her. _Kinky._

His lips found her ear and Kenny found herself eagerly anticipating the sweet nothings he was about to whisper. 

“You killed my men,” he said, his warm breath tickling her lobe. Not quite what she was hoping for, then. Kenny groaned as the shackles clicked shut around her wrists, restraining her. The king drew back only a little, still holding her intimately in his arms. “It’s a shame,” he said, “I think I would have liked to kiss you.” 

Before Kenny could quip that surely the handcuffs just made things all the more thrilling, he was stepping away from her. She missed his hands as soon as they were gone but found herself hating the ones that replaced them. 

“Take her to the dungeons,” Kyle said to the two guards that gripped her arms. When had they entered? Damn, one cute elf and she was screwing up all over the place. 

Determined to appear entirely unfazed, Kenny winked at him. “I’ll see you later, hot stuff,” she said before she was led away.

She felt Kyle’s gaze burning into her back as they departed and she couldn’t help but smirk. 

So she got caught, what of it? She didn’t care about the Stick anymore, anyway. No, Kenny had an entirely new mission now. One that promised to be a lot more interesting than a boring old stick. Cuter, too. 

Oh, this was going to be so much fun.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It’s only just gone 9pm but I’m curled up in my mermaid blanket, with a cup of tea trying and failing to fight through exhaustion (don’t get old, folks! All I want to do is sleep and buy microwaves, it sucks) to see if this chapter makes a lick of sense. 
> 
> I’ve read it four times and I still can’t work it out ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯
> 
> (A sensible person would wait until they’re less tired before posting but I never claimed to be sensible.)

The princess stared around her cell forlornly. She’d hoped to never lay eyes on the dank, dark dungeons again (at least, not from _behind_ the bars) but here she was, screwing up – _again_. This time she might not have killed anyone but, in a sense, she’d done worse. She’d broken Kyle’s heart, something she had promised herself she would never do. 

To think that once, that had been her plan. Break hearts, destroy lives, chaos and destruction, the works. Somewhere along the lines, she’d gotten lost in her lies. She’d fallen too deep. She’d been acting for so long that her act had become her reality. Even _before_ she met Kyle she’d been trying to prove herself to Cartman. Prove herself to that fatass who called himself a wizard? What a _joke!_

If she hadn’t of felt the need to prove herself to the king, though, then she might never have fallen for Kyle. If they’d met under a different circumstance, who knows what their future would have held. Maybe she’d have killed him? Maybe she’d be happier for it?

**_No._**

Instead, she’d left him the night before their wedding and she’d taken the stick, too, dooming the elves in the process. She really _was_ despicable. If it wasn’t for her curse, she’d be rooting for them to execute her. As it were, though, her ‘death’ would only end up causing more problems for the king and his people. She’d caused enough problems for Kyle to last a lifetime. She wanted to make things better, not worse. 

_So, hey, you probably shouldn’t kill me for my crimes. No, I’m not trying to get out of being suitably punished. It’s just, if you do, I’ll turn into a zombie and eat half your kingdom. Sorry?_

Even thinking it made her laugh humourlessly. Like Kyle would have believed that even if she _hadn’t_ completely decimated his trust in her. 

“P-princess? Is that you?” 

Kenny raised her head at the familiar voice, her blue eyes scanning the gloom for its owner. 

“Paladin Butters?”

“Oh, gee wiz, it _is_ you. Golly, I’m awfully sore to see they caught you, too. Don’t worry, Princess, we’ll escape, I promise you that.” 

The wizard king had sent Leo ‘Butters’ Stotch out on a scouting mission just days before Kenny herself had stormed from Kupa Keep. Apparently he’d scouted a little _too_ far. 

“How long have you been here?” she asked him, moving closer to the bars that divided them. It was both a relief and troubling to see such a familiar face imprisoned with her. On the one hand, Leo was an angel and one of the princess’ favourite of the royal guard. On the other, though, he was close to Cartman and, seeing as she had just betrayed the wizard king quite spectacularly, it probably wasn’t the best thing for her to be locked up with one of his loyal servants. Leo was to Cartman what Stan was to Kyle. Sweetheart though he might be, if he knew what she’d done, there was no telling how he’d react. 

“Well, gee, I’m not rightly sure, Princess.” 

As she peered more closely as the paladin, she saw he sported an impressive black eye. “Did the elves do that to you?” she asked quietly. Guilt racked her. Leo was a good person, perhaps even a friend and yet she was choosing to side with the elves, who beat and locked him up. What kind of person was she? Everything she had done recently suggested she was awful. 

She betrayed everyone. 

She deserved to be locked away down here forever, where she could do no more harm. 

Except – 

Hadn’t that always been the point?

“Are you okay, Princess?” 

“Not really, Leo,” she said. “I’m an awful person.”

_And I’m so confused, you wouldn’t believe. I’ve lost myself. I don’t know who I am or what my goals are anymore._

_I’m lost._

_**Lost.** _

“Well now, _that’s_ not true.” 

“I’ve done awful things.”

_I continue to do awful things._

“Oh heck, everybody has done awful things, Princess. That don’t mean you’re a bad person or nothin’, it just means you’re human. An’ I think you’re a mighty wonderful human, Princess. So don’t be so hard on yourself, okay?”

_Human._

Kenny stared at Leo. He really was too good to be one of the wizard kings men. The world didn’t deserve Butters Stotch. 

Kenny vowed to herself then that she would make sure, whatever happened to her, Leo was let free. What was wrong with her? Why was it she cared? Why was it that she couldn’t bare the idea of one of the enemy being sentenced to execution or life imprisonment?

_I’m lost._

When she told him her plan, he gave a laugh and shook his head. “Now, don’t be silly, Princess. It’s _my_ job to make sure you get out safely.”

_If only you knew the truth._

“You don’t get it, Leo,” she said. “I deserve to be locked away here. I hurt Kyle.”

_And that’s probably not even the worst of it._

“Kyle? You mean the Elf King? Oh boy, are you friends with him, Princess? The King’ll be awfully sore if he knows.” He didn’t say it maliciously, or give any indication that he was going to say anything against her, but Kenny felt her blood run cold. It obviously showed across her face because Butters spoke again. “Hey now, it’s okay Princess. You can trust me. Gee, I would never do nothin’ to get you hurt.”

Kenny felt herself relax a little. And then she just felt guilty again because she didn’t deserve it. 

_I don’t deserve anything good._

“You like him a lot, huh?” 

It took Kenny a moment to realise who Butters was talking about. “I do,” she admitted, surprising herself by her honesty. “But I screwed up. I _always_ screw up.” 

“Well now, that’s not true.” 

Kenny lowered her head sadly. If only he was right. 

“What do you know about me before I became a princess?” she asked after a short silence. Butters twisted his thumbs awkwardly, clearly uncomfortable with the question. “It’s okay. I won’t be angry by whatever you say.” 

“Well...” Butters looked up at her, his bruised eyes full of uncertainty. She smiled at him, reassuring him. “I heard that you were the daughter of a drunk, an’ that when the King found you he decided to pretend you were of Nobel birth ‘cus you were so beautiful an’ all. But – ” He cut off, looking worried again. Kenny frowned. There was a ‘but’? How could there be? That was her official back story, or, at least, the one she’d created for herself. 

“But?” She tried to keep her voice calm as she prompted him for more. Fortunately, in the gloom, Butters couldn’t see the sheen of sweat on her forehead. 

_Does he know?_

“Um, well, the king – He, um…”

“What about that fatass?” she demanded, finally loosing her cool and frantically gripping at the bars that separated them. She must have looked deranged. She must have looked every bit the monster. Butters took a stumbling step backwards. “Sorry,” she said quickly. “Sorry.” 

She released the bars. Her hands trembled at her side.

“He was suspicious, see. So he looked into your story a little. You weren’t that dead drunk man’s daughter.” 

Kenny felt her heart sink further. Could Cartman _know_? And if Cartman knew, could Kyle possibly…? “And so who does he think I am?” Her voice was barely audible. 

“Well, he doesn’t know yet. But he’s suspicious of you, m’lady, which is why there’d be heck to pay if he knew you were here with the elves.” 

“And are you going to tell him?”

“Oh hamburgers… I don’t _want_ to.” 

“But you think you need to?”

“I – ” His gaze dropped to his fingers, which he twisted together nervously. He was such a fidgeter when worried. She was glad he had a tell. It would be even worse to be learning all this from someone she couldn’t read. 

Kenny had always been so careful. Yes, she screwed up (recently much more than she liked) but she’d always thought her real identity was safely concealed from both the humans and the elves alike. The fact that Cartman wasn’t as fooled as she’d believed really was troublesome. When the king put his mind to something he was an unstoppable force. If he wanted to find out the truth about Princess Kenny he would, undoubtably, eventually get there. 

Before she’d fallen for the Elf King, her true identity getting out mightn’t have been a problem. It would have forced her to act sooner than she might have liked, but that wasn’t the end of the world. Kenny was nothing if not dynamic, she could have spun it. Now, though, her real identity getting out would ruin her chances with Kyle forever and Kenny wasn’t sure she wanted to face that reality. That was, if she wasn’t already there. 

_I didn’t mean to get so lost. Didn’t mean to fall so hard –_

As she stared around the gloomy prison cell, focusing briefly on the rats that huddled in the far corner scavenging crumbs, she was forced to accept that perhaps she was already _there_. Perhaps there would be no fixing what she’d done. 

She’d run away from Kyle and the elves because she’d had a plan and deviating from it wasn’t part of it. Or that was what she’d originally told herself. Really, as she’d realised later, she’d run away because she was scared. She was scared because she was falling in love with the enemy and she didn’t know what to do about it. 

She was meant to be seeking revenge on the humans and the elves, not forming alliances and romantic relationships. 

When had she fallen so deep? 

“You okay there, Princess?” 

“Hm? Oh, yeah, sorry. I just zoned out for a minute.” 

“Okay, well I just wanted you to know I won’t tell the wizard king anything you don’t want me to. You can trust me.” 

Kenny smiled but didn’t respond. The more she thought about it, the more she realised that, if Cartman was already suspicious then it wouldn’t take him long to figure out the truth. Once Cartman knew, she was sure Kyle would shortly follow. 

Kenny sank to the floor and buried her head in her knees. A bad situation had just gotten a whole lot worse:

She was about to lose Kyle forever. 

She should never have swayed from her true path. 

She should never have fallen in love. 

She should have stayed away. 

And she _really_ shouldn’t have returned. 

_Crap._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nothing like being locked away in a dark cell to make you free fall through your repressed lies and betrayals and figure out your self worth or lack there of. 
> 
> Once again, if this chapter doesn’t make sense I’m sorry. As this was originally only going to be a one shot I didn’t really think through the whole Kenny backstory haha


	4. Chapter 4

The guards all gave her dirty looks as she passed them. She was already in chains, her fine clothes bedraggled and filthy, what more could they possibly want? 

Wasn’t humiliation enough? Would they not be satisfied until she was dead at their feet? 

I mean, she’d only killed a _couple_ of them. A couple meant nothing. They had killed her entire kind. Then again, they didn’t know that and, even if they had of, they probably wouldn’t have cared. 

Kenny understood elves to be heartless like that. 

“Where are you taking me?” she asked, taking time to make sure her tone came across as indifferent. There was no way she would let her voice waver and reveal just how exhausted and defeated she was currently feeling. She was a princess, damnit. 

“The king has requested your presence.” The guard didn’t sound particularly thrilled about that. His disapproval suggested that either the king _wasn’t_ planning on beheading her, or he simply felt a better suited punishment was to leave her to rot forever in the dungeons. 

Out of the two options, she definitely preferred the former. Not dying was always preferable. She didn’t very much care for what happened _after_ she died. She also didn’t very much care for being killed by such a hot king. There were… _other_ things she’d rather he do to her. 

She let a smile play across her chapped lips as she pictured those other things.

“My liege.” They had arrived. Kenny was surprised to note she had been taken, not to the throne room as expected, but to the tower which held the Stick of Truth. 

“Thank you,” Kyle said. “Please remove her chains and then you may leave.”

“But Sire – ” The guard looked horrified at the very prospect. Even Kenny’s eyebrows shot way up, disappearing into her hairline. The elf king had seen a little of what she was capable of and yet he was willing to be left alone with her unchained?

Trusting. She liked him even more. 

He was pretty stupid, though. 

“Do you not think me capable of defending myself and the stick?” Kyle asked, lips pursed. The guard flushed red and stuttered an apology, kissing his kings ass with compliments while he unchained Kenny’s wrists. 

Kenny waited until they were alone before she rubbed at the raw flesh around her wrists. 

“Are you okay?” Kyle asked. His beautiful, forest green eyes glistened with concern as he approached her and Kenny noticed that, now they were alone, his voice had changed from regal to, well, not common per se, but not the authoritative voice he’d used moments before. Now he just sounded unsure. Worried even. 

“Like you care,” she said. Her wrists really did hurt like a bitch. 

“Of course I care, princess.”

This had to be a trap. 

“Why would you?”

“No lady should be imprisoned and chained.”

Damn straight. “Then let me go,” she said, adding just a pinch of seduction to her tone. She was a master of voices and there was _always_ a correct tone for every occasion. 

“So you can run back to that fat bastard?”

“What makes you think I want to go back?” She probably _would_ , of course. But not because she wanted to. 

“You owe him. Without the wizard king you would be nobody.” 

_Only because he played a hand in killing my kind._

“Yes,” she said aloud. “I guess that’s true.”

“But you’re not loyal to him.” It wasn’t a question. Kyle already knew the answer. They had discussed that fact before, which, Kenny assumed, meant that he just liked hearing her say the words. 

She smiled wickedly. “I am not.”

“But you _are_ loyal to the humans.”

 _No._ “I guess. Yes.”

“So you want the elves wiped out?” He sounded sad as he asked the question and Kenny struggled to keep eye contact. Nobody had any right to look as good as he did. And, certainly, nobody had any right to make _her_ feel guilty. And yet, here she was. 

“No,” she said. It worried her that she wasn’t certain how much of a lie her answer really was. She decided that was something she could dwell on later, though. “I want humans and elves to return to their former alliance.”

“That won’t happen.”

“Not while Cartman is king, no.”

Kyle’s eyes sparkled with intrigue. He really was cute, Kenny thought, it was such a shame that he was her enemy. Then again, she’d never been taught not to play with her food before she ate it. There was no reason she couldn’t have some fun as long as, eventually, she remembered her mission. 

“You want to take him out?”

“Of course,” she said. “Doesn’t everyone? The guys an asshole.” Kyle laughed at that. 

He glanced at the stick – which Kenny herself had been intentionally avoiding looking at – and then back at her. “Maybe we could work together,” he said finally, chewing on his lip.

“You trust me?” She arched an eyebrow. He was incredibly naïve if he did. 

“Of course not. But maybe I could learn to. I’d _like_ to.” Oh, _smooth._ Kenny felt her traitors face flush a little. Goddamnit, why did he have to look at her like that?

She coughed gently, trying to disguise her reaction. “That so?”

Kyle’s smile grew. Apparently her reaction hadn’t been as lost on him as she’d hoped. “You’d be an asset to my people.”

“Oh. Great.” An asset, huh? Not a vision of beauty he wanted to stare at every morning when he woke up? Kenny was disappointed. 

“It’s hardly a bad thing, Princess. We’d be lucky to have you.”

“Why’s that?” Okay, now she was just fishing for compliments. To his credit, though, Kyle seemed more than happy to oblige. 

“You know the enemy and how they think. You’re _more_ than capable of handling yourself. You’re smart, fierce and beautiful. You’d be a fine elf.”

Well, he’d been doing alright until he told her she’d make a fine elf, but you couldn’t have everything. 

“You flatter me,” she said, “but I already know all of this. I’m wonderful, _I know._ ”

“So modest,” he joked, nudging her with his shoulder. 

Flirting, that was more like it. 

“Well what about _you_? Don’t you dare tell me you don’t know how fine your ass is.” 

Judging from how Kyle’s face turned a similar shade to his hair, he either didn’t know or was simply not used to being told such things. She supposed most subjects wouldn’t dare say such things to their king. Good job she wasn’t one of his subjects then. 

And, damnit, he was even cuter when he was embarrassed. 

“Embarrassed, my Liege?” she teased. 

“Don’t be ridiculous.”

“Whatever you say.” She twisted her body to face his and placed her palms flat against his chest. Kyle looked down at her, eyes wide.

“What are you doing?” His question came out rushed. His cheeks were still burning red. 

“Just checking your heartbeat,” she said. She looked from his chest to his face, purposely making her eyes as large as possible. “Either elves hearts beat dangerously fast or you’re _definitely_ embarrassed. Do you not agree that you have a fine ass? Because, _damn._ ”

Kyle cleared his throat but didn’t move away from her touch. “You don’t much speak like a princess.”

“Would you prefer it if I did?” Her eyes twinkled mischievously. “Is that your kink?”

This time Kyle did step back, eyes wide and full of panic. Kenny hadn’t been sure she would be able to fluster him. She was glad that she could.

This was _definitely_ going to be fun. 

“An alliance, huh? I’ll definitely think about it.”


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How the Wizard King met Princess Kenny

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, it’s been a while. Last month was hectic and I only really had time to write my Halloween fic, but now that it’s finished I hope to not leave it so long between updates again! Sorry guys!
> 
> I had been thinking about writing a Kyle chapter this time, but then I was struck with inspiration and came up with this instead. Enjoy <3

The blinking stars that dusted the late nights sky reminded him of the cake he’d eaten the day before. Damn, that had been a good cake. Moist. Creamy. _Delicious._

He’d have to have another made for him. Maybe he’d even send Butters back to order it in time for his return the castle that evening. 

Yes, he’d do that. Otherwise he’d just be thinking about the bloody thing all day and he doubted the decadent feast his kitchen prepared for his journey included sparkling frosted cakes. He’d have to have words with them. His kitchen staff were meant to be the best; they should know what he wanted before he knew himself. 

Besides, it was before sunrise and, goddamnit, he deserved a cake just for dragging his ass out of bed at such a forsaken hour. Why the hell couldn’t the villages be closer to his castle? 

“Oi, Paladin!” he bellowed. 

“My liege?” Butters brought his horse into step with his own. He looked both nervous and excited to have been summoned by his king. He probably thought he was going to be asked to scout ahead or something important. Cartman almost snorted, savouring the anticipation of watching the blonds face fall when he realised he was being sent on cake duty. Then again, as far as the king was concerned, cake duty was the most important of all errands he could send his subjects out on. 

“I need you to return to the castle.”

“Gee, you do?” Butters pouted, a little put out seeing as they’d only left the castle an hour ago and had a full day of tax collection ahead of them. 

“I have a task of great importance for you.” Butters brightened at the prospect and so Cartman continued fluffing the mans ego, so that it would be all the more delicious when he realised what it was his king wanted from him. “I don’t trust anyone else with this, Butters. It’s like, super important.”

“Wow, oh golly! I sure hope I don’t disappoint.”

“You better not, Butters. You better not.” Butters gulped audibly. “I would send a messenger raven but we have spies watching the skies even under the blanket of night, paladin. I would not want for this message to be intercepted.”

“Oh boy, it must be super important then, huh?”

“Super,” Cartman said gravely, nodding his head in agreement. He cleared his throat and gave his order, somehow managing to word it in a way that connoted life or death. The paladin frowned, trying to work out whether his orders merited the importance Cartman was giving them. Finally, he smiled and nodded, successfully pissing the king off. 

“Can do, your highness!”

“Oh, fuck you, Butters,” Cartman grumbled as Butters sped off. Goddamn, why did the blond have to be so naïve and gullible? The king had thought he’d get a good laugh out of sending the paladin out on such a mission but instead he came away feeling annoyed and, almost – _almost_ – not in the mood for cake. 

He’d get over it, he was sure. 

When they arrived at the first village, an hour after sunrise, Cartman invited himself into the nearest house while his cleric doubled as his tax collector. 

The husband and wife stared at him nervously as he worked his way through the food they’d laid before him. 

“This bread is dry as shit,” he told the wife. Seriously, how did peasants live like this? 

“I’m sorry your highness,” the husband stuttered, head bowed. “It’s been a hard winter.”

“Clearly,” Cartman said, and continued to eat their dry bread just so they would go hungry later. 

 

It was a long day of taking money from the poor and Cartman was ready to get back to his castle long before they reached the final village in his territory. It was the village closest to the Elven boarders and Cartman always hated venturing there, certain that the damn elves would take advantage and spring a trap.

He didn’t find a trap but he did arrive to a commotion. 

“What’s going on?” he demanded from atop his horse. The crowds parted, lowering their heads in awe of their mighty ruler. 

‘My liege,” one commoner spoke up, “Stuart McCormick has been murdered.”

Cartman didn’t know who Stuart McCormick was, but the fact that somebody was murdering _his_ people – people who paid him taxes no less! – pissed him off. 

“Where is the body?” he demanded. 

Moments later, he was striding into the house identified, accompanied by Cleric Black and two other guards. 

Blood. There was blood everywhere. He wrinkled his nose. 

When he noticed the gaping hole where the mans throat should have been, he twisted his head away in disgust. He didn’t want to see that kind of shit. It would ruin his appetite. 

“Find out who did this,” he said to the two nameless guards. (Seriously, was he expected to remember everyone?)

After they left, he turned to his cleric. “Token, search the house.”

The cleric nodded and began scouting. It was a tiny house and it didn’t take him long to report back. “There’s a girl, Sire.”

“A girl?”

“Through here. She’s unconscious.”

Cartman followed Token curiously into the next room. Lying on the floor was the most beautiful girl he had ever laid eyes on. Her golden locks half covered her bruised face but, even with the beating she had endured, it was obvious she had been favoured by God when the son-of-a-bitch had been dishing out appearances. Cartman counted himself as one of the lucky few blessed with god-like beauty but even _he_ had to admit that the girl had something he didn’t. 

“Who is she?” Cartman asked, frowning. “The victim’s daughter?”

“I assume so,” Token said. “I know McCormick had a daughter but I’d never met her. I’d actually assumed the plague had taken her with his son and wife. He sure spends his coins drowning his sorrows as if all his family were dead.”

Cartman crouched down, brushing the hair from the girls face. She really _was_ beautiful. No peasant should have any right to look that good. That kind of beauty was reserved only for royalty. With looks like that, a person could go far. Nobody would deny an angel their whims. 

A plan began to formulate in the kings cunning mind.

The girls eyelashes fluttered at his touch and, a moment later she opened big, blue eyes. She stayed in her position, staring at the king without once blinking. 

Cartman wasn’t sure whether to be offended or impressed that she didn’t instantly scoot herself into a bowing position and avert her eyes. It was a hangable offence but, somehow, the defiance suited her. The king let it drop. 

“What’s your name?” he asked her, finally unnerved by her impenetrable stare.

“Kenny.” She winced slightly as the movement caused her injured lip to split open. 

Cartman glanced at Token. “What was the name of the drunks’ daughter?”

“I don’t know,” Token confessed. “But it began with a K, I’m certain.” 

Good enough for Cartman. For now, at least. 

Kenny groaned and pulled herself up into a sitting position. Cartman turned his attention back to her. 

“What happened here?” 

“Somebody broke in. They attacked my father and then came after me when I tried to escape,” Kenny said. There was something wrong about her tone. She didn’t sound upset or scared as would be expected. 

She also spoke rather well for a commoner. 

“What were they after?”

“What anyone in this village is after, I assume. Gold coins. It’s tax day after all, and it’s been a hard winter.”

So he’d heard… 

“I should just burn down this piss poor village,” Cartman grumbled. “Being poor is a disease.”

Kenny pursed her lips. “Maybe the people would be more prosperous if you didn’t tax them for every meagre coin they posses. More money means more food which equals harder and happier workers.”

Cartman screwed up his fists. Who was this peasant girl to talk to him like this? He should teach her a lesson. He was king and he had every right to do as he pleased –!

He took a deep, shaky breath and uncurled his fists. Hurting the girl further wouldn’t do any good. He drew his gaze away from her, to his cleric, annoyed to see a small smirk on his lips. It vanished instantly as he realised his king was staring. 

“You think she’s right?” he demanded. 

Token sighed heavily. “I don’t think she’s wrong,” he said finally. If Token had been anyone else, Cartman would have had their head. The cleric was the best fighter in Kupa Keep, though, and had many other merits too. Cartman couldn’t afford to lose him. One day he would revel in lopping of the guys head, but that day was not yet. 

He returned his gaze to Kenny. She was rude and needed to be taught proper manners. If she hadn’t of looked the way she did, Cartman would have killed her already. Was that shallow? Maybe. Did Cartman give a fuck? Certainly not. 

He saw a little of himself in her. 

If nothing else, she would make an excellent pawn. 

“Well then, Kenny, why not return to my castle with me and advice me on what’s best for my people?” 

Kenny finally looked skeptical. “Why?” 

“Would you rather I leave you here to starve? Or for your fathers killer to finish the job?”

He expected her to cry at the mention of her father’s death but she hardly reacted. He pursed his lips. 

There was definitely something fishy about this situation. Or, perhaps she was simply a psychopath.

Either way, it didn’t matter. He’d get Butters to do some fishing later. 

“You want me to join your court? As what? A servant?” She looked disgusted at the very thought. Any normal peasant would be ecstatic to be accepted into the royal court. But, if she were any normal peasant, he wouldn’t be interested. 

Cartman smiled wickedly. “Actually, I think you’re better suited to… something else.” He couldn’t help his gaze drift down to her voluptuous bosom. Damn, and he’d been doing so well, too!

She scowled, offended, but made no move to place an arm across her low cut dress. “I’ll not be your prostitute!”

“You mistake me, my lady,” he said. 

Yes, a woman this beautiful would be _very_ usual. Put her in the right clothes and make her talk to the right people and Cartman was sure no noble folk would deny a single of her requests. 

With her by his side, he would be even more powerful. 

Other than a good cake, if there was one thing the king liked, it was power. 

“I’m asking you to become a princess.”


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is one of the most unproductive weeks I’ve had in a long time. I just haven’t felt like writing. I’ve spent my free time playing Detroit: Become Human THREE TIMES! (Well, 2 and a half currently) Somebody please stop me. I need help xD

“You need to release Leo.”

“I don’t think you’re in a situation to be making demands,” Kyle said, sliding his chess piece across the board and stealing her knight. “…Who’s Leo?”

“Paladin Butters,” Kenny said, exasperated. “The prisoner you have locked in the dungeons.”

“Oh, him. He’s the enemy.”

“So am I,” she pointed out. 

“Which is why you’re a prisoner too.”

He said that, but Kenny had been supplied with a new, beautiful dress and was currently unchained in the king’s quarters, playing chess. It was a game she barely understood the rules of, but she was enjoying the quality time with Kyle more than enough that she wasn’t going to let her confusion get in the way. 

Oh, how life would have been simpler had she not of fallen in love with the enemy. 

“Butters wouldn’t harm a hair on your head,” she said. Kenny couldn’t explain her fondness for the imprisoned paladin. She had wanted to hate all humans and elves after what had happened back then…

Kyle and Leo, though, they gave her hope. Hope that maybe things could be better. That maybe she didn’t have to follow through on the revenge plan she had so thoroughly thought out. She’d even humoured the thought of telling Kyle everything about herself. She’d humoured the thought that he wouldn’t care. That he’d accept her regardless. 

It wasn’t a very realistic thought. 

Kyle would despise her if he knew the truth. She was surprised he didn’t despise her already. 

“And I haven’t harmed a hair on his,” Kyle said pragmatically. 

“Not you personally,” she countered, “but he has been hurt.”

“Only because he resisted capture.” Kyle narrowed his forest green eyes, his eyebrows drawing together. “Do you like him?”

Kenny couldn’t help but smile. “Are you jealous?”

“No,” Kyle said promptly, turning his attention back to the chess board just as Kenny moved her piece. 

He was _definitely_ jealous. 

Kenny loved that she could stir such feelings within him. 

“I do like Leo,” she said, trying to tame her wild smile as Kyle looked up again sharply. “But not like that.” She didn’t have the heart to string out her teasing further. If she pushed her luck too much, she’d only end up back in the dungeon. She’d end up back there eventually either way, but Kenny would rather delay the inevitable and get extra time with her favourite elf king. 

“Good,” Kyle said finally. 

“Is it?”

Kyle hesitated only a moment before nodding. “I wish you’d be honest with me,” he said, countering her move on the board. 

Kenny paused, biting her lip as she looked up at the king. 

_No, you don’t._

“I am,” she said instead. 

Kyle sighed. “I’m not an idiot, Kenny. I know you’re keeping things from me. Stan reckons you’re just planning to betray us all again, but I like to think you’re better than that. Don’t let me down. Not again.”

Kenny didn’t say anything. She didn’t know what to say. 

Instead she just moved her queen. 

“You can’t make that move,” Kyle said, watching as she placed it next to his king. 

“Who says?” She winked. 

“The rules,” Kyle replied stoically. Kenny pouted but didn’t move her queen. She was fed up of trying to understand this stupid game when the man playing it with her was far more interesting. Every time she thought she had Kyle figured out, he’d surprise her. She was sure he would keep on surprising her. 

If only she could tell him the whole truth, maybe he would understand. 

Who was she kidding, though? No matter how he surprised her in every other aspect, she knew his reaction to her secrets would be anything but supportive. 

She’d have a noose round her neck and be swinging at the gallows by morning. 

“Rules are meant to be broken.”

“Not in chess,” Kyle said, ever pragmatic. 

“And outside of chess?” she wanted to know. 

Kyle paused, scanning her face. For what, Kenny wasn’t sure. She was careful to keep her face impassive though, not wanting to give anything away. She was already too careless around Kyle; he made her make mistakes. He made her forget her mission. 

Sometimes she wondered whether she wanted him to succeed. 

“I guess it depends on who’s favour it works out in. Rule breaking that ultimately aids the enemy is a big no.”

“Do you think I’m a broken rule that aids the enemy?”

“Honestly, Kenny… I’ve no idea what you are. I want to understand you. I want to trust you. But you ran back to the fatass once, how can I be sure you won’t again?” 

“You can’t,” she said quietly. “That’s what I am. A loose cannon. The hellion you can’t trust so you’re better off not trying.”

She hadn’t meant to say that. She’d meant to assure him she could be trusted even though she was pretty certain she couldn’t be. Warning him away from her… Oh hell, she must _really_ like him. 

That only made things worse. 

Kyle continued to scrutinise her. Eventually, he sighed. 

“I don’t get you,” he said. “One minute you want me to trust you, the next you’re pushing me away.”

“Indecisiveness is one of my many talents. Want to see another?” She winked flirtatiously, trying to hide the fact that she just wanted the ground to swallow her whole. What was she doing? How had she gotten here? 

When she had started out she’d had a will of iron. Nothing and nobody would stop her from her mission. She would get her revenge even if it was the death of her, and it had been, more than once. 

That wasn’t to say dying didn’t suck. It honestly did. It wasn’t something she wanted for herself. Nowadays, she turned into some kind of awful zombie each time and the effects always varied in length. It hadn’t always been that way. Once, if she’d died, she was simply gone. Until she wasn’t anymore, that was. 

It had been Clyde’s army of darkness who had cursed her into a monster. 

That revenge, at least, she had wreaked. 

As for the rest of what had once been a well thought out plan? 

Kyle had happened.

And Kenny didn’t know how to make him un-happen. 

It was equal parts frustrating and intriguing. He made her want to be better. He made her want to _try_. But she’d made a promise. She’d vowed she would avenge everyone and make humans and elves alike pay. She’d thought that was all she wanted. 

Until she met the king, anyway.

“Are you ever serious?” Kyle asked, staring sadly at her. “I loved you, you know. I was going to end a war for your sake.”

“The fatass would never go for peace.”

“Of course not. But if he were to… _disappear_ , you are his successor.”

“So you’re going to kill the wizard king?” She arched an eyebrow. She knew they were at war, knew they hated one another, but she’d never really believed Kyle would be capable of mercilessly killing the ruler of his enemy. 

Then again, she believed Kyle to be capable of killing her. What was the difference? 

Goddamnit. She was so confused. If there was anything the princess hated, it was not knowing her own mind. She was meant to know herself better than anybody. She was meant to understand her goals and how to achieve them. She was meant to be ruthless. 

She wasn’t meant to fall in love.

Especially not with the enemy. 

“You really have to ask?”

Kenny leaned back in her chair, bring the front legs up and off the floor. Perhaps it was not very princessey but then neither was living in a dungeon and playing chess with the enemy. Breaking the rules was something she knew. It was something she was good at. 

“So, you kill Cartman, make me ruler of Kupa Keep, marry me to form an alliance and… what then?”

Kyle looked down, something akin to hurt flashing in his eyes. “It was never about the alliance,” he said quietly. 

No. Because, for some unknown reason, Kyle actually loved her. 

The princess didn’t say anything for a long time. 

Eventually, she gave the elf king a sad smile. 

“Well, I guess we’ll never know whether it would have worked out or not.” With that she stood and turned her back to Kyle. She made her way over to the guard at the door and held out her arms for her shackles. She didn’t turn back to look at Kyle, but judging by the fact the guard glanced at him before chaining her, he had no intention of trying to stop her returning to her prison. 

Why was it that every decision she made closer to her goal, took her further away from Kyle?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yu _p_ , I do _not_ understand chess. At all. xD
> 
> If this chapter is a mess, I’m really sorry. I’ve never felt so uninspired for such a long time before. Hopefully it won’t last too much longer...


	7. Chapter 7

The king paced his quarters in frustration. Occasionally he’d let out a frustrated yell. The guards stationed at his door had long since stopped checking to make sure he was okay, although that may have had something to do with the fact he’d chucked his shoe at them last time and told them to mind their own fucking business. The king had never claimed to have anything but a temper as fiery as his hair. 

Being a ruler sucked. There were too many big decisions, too many people whispering in his ear. Too much betrayal. 

Kyle had Kenny bringing back the ultimate weapon and claiming she was sorry, that she regretted her decision to betray him and his people. At least, that’s what Kyle _thought_ was going on. With the princess, it was always so hard to be sure. 

Then he had Stan telling him not to trust her. She’d betrayed them once and she’d do it again in a heartbeat. Kyle needed to get rid of her once and for all. Feelings be damned. That was easy for Stan to say. He’d only ever had eyes for Wendy, leader of the Girls clan. The Girls were renowned for being on their own side. They had an alliance of sort with both the humans and the elves but kept out of their politics. They were smart. 

Kyle didn’t know what to do. He didn’t want to spend his waking moments thinking about a traitor, but it was difficult when that traitor was also the only person he had ever loved. The only person who had ever even come close. 

How could he trust her, though? She’d let him down before, had broken his heart and betrayed his trust. She would do it again in a heartbeat. Stan was right, it was just the sort of person she was. The only consolation was that she would do the same to the wizard king. Kenny’s loyalties seem to lie with herself and _only_ herself. 

It made Kyle wonder what had happened to make her that way. 

He’d heard stories, of course. He’d even sent some of his best out to find out what they could. The princess was an enigma, though. Before Cartman had found her, she hadn’t existed. Before she was the princess, she was just… nothing. 

It didn’t make any sense. 

Kyle considered himself a smart person. He had a short temper but a quick mind. Sometimes he was logical to a fault, but nobody could be perfect. 

Logically, the princess had a past. She had a history buried deep and understanding that history was a sure way to help him understand her. 

Kyle hated that he still wanted to understand her. 

He should listen to Stan. He should execute her, thus sending a message to Kupa Keep and dealing with the problem she presented. 

The thought of watching her swing… 

Kyle yelled out again, kicking over the nearest table. A cold mug of coffee smashed to the floor, staining the marble and spreading like blood. Kyle stopped pacing to watch it, eyes wide as he couldn’t help but picture the table as Kenny and the coffee as her blood, eating the floor, spilling from her and leaving her empty. 

Why did that scene seem so terribly familiar? 

He shook the thought away. He’d never seen the princess more than a little beat up. He never wanted to. 

There had to be something he was missing. Something he couldn’t see. Perhaps something he didn’t _want_ to see. 

Since that chess game he hadn’t been able to quiet his mind. His thoughts had grown louder and louder until he’d ended up here, basically having a tantrum in his bedchamber. 

_Rules are meant to be broken._

Kenny was playing some kind of game, the rules of which only she was privy to. Everyone else was just a pawn on her board for her to control as she wished. Her game was intricate, with more layers than he could hope to discover by himself. He needed her to share the rules. He needed to understand what she had dragged him into. He needed her to stop playing her hand at God and open up to him. 

Kyle didn’t want to be controlled. 

What he wanted was something he could never have. What he wanted was for the princess to love him back wholeheartedly, with no hidden agendas or tricks up her frilly sleeves. 

He really was a fool. 

With determined strides, Kyle left his quarters. Somewhere along the line, Stan materialised by his side, falling into synchronised silent steps beside him. 

“Is it wise to visit her while you’re in such a mood?”

“It’s the best time to see her,” Kyle said between gritted teeth. “She won’t win me over with any flattery while I’m feeling like this.”

He was too damn angry to be susceptible to her charm right now. She was playing some kind of game, messing with him somehow, _lying_ to him.

Kyle wanted to know why.

His brisk steps echoed through the stone hallways, muffled slightly by the intricate weave of roots and flowers that decorated the ceiling like a canopy. As they proceeded lower into the castle, the air became colder, damper. Kyle could see his breath puff out before him and momentarily he felt bad for keeping the princess in such a dank place. 

The dungeons were no place for a princess. They were, however, exactly the right place for a traitor of Zaron. Which, Kyle had to remind himself, was exactly what Kenny was. 

Stan waited by the dungeon doors as Kyle stepped into the darkness. He ignored the other dicks who rattled their bars and hissed as he passed. He didn’t care for them. He only had eyes for one. 

Kenny was locked in the cell besides the paladin she had tried to beg pardon for. For the first time Kyle wondered whether she’d given him a message to pass on to the wizard king. The thought struck him with new resolve.

“Princess,” he said as he reached her cell. 

She was lounging on her cot and didn’t move as he spoke. Ever so calm and collect, no matter the situation presented to her. 

“Come to free me?” she asked the ceiling. When he didn’t respond, she propped herself up on her elbow to scrutinise his face through the gloom. She arched an eyebrow. “Come to execute me?” 

“Gee, princess! I’m sure –”

Kyle shot the bruised paladin a look that silenced him instantly. Kenny whistled. 

“What is your game?” Kyle asked calmly, walking right up to the prison bars. With slow, graceful movements, Kenny moved her legs off the bed and sat up. Her hips swayed as she waltzed up to him, until she stood directly in front of the bars. 

“Who says I’m playing a game?”

“I know you well enough to know that you are.”

“Who says you know me at all?” Her voice was quiet, and her words stung with truth. She had lied about so much, who’s to say it hadn’t _all_ been a lie? 

“Have you ever spoken any truth to me?” Kyle tried to keep his voice calm. He was a king and he would not be angered, intimidated or broken by anyone.

“Who knows,” she said, her blue eyes never blinking as they fixed on his green pair. 

“What changed?” he asked after a beat of silence. Why was she suddenly so distant when before she had seemed to want to convince him to forgive her? What had happened to change the rules for her?

“Maybe I just grow weary of being kept your prisoner. I’m a lady used to finery, after all.”

That wasn’t it and they both knew it. 

The chess game they had played had moved pieces into place for both of them, it seemed. And now they were both fighting against what was right and what they wanted. 

Kyle wasn’t sure which side would win. 

All he knew was that the game would have to come to an end soon. 

One way or another.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Confession: I’m not really very active with the fandom anymore. I obviously still love SP and am still reading updates of fics that I love but, yeah, that’s about it. I’m focusing way more on original writing these days. That said, if nothing else, I do want to finish this fic as I’m so damn close to the end. I also really do want to continue Daisy Chains but it’s just finding the motivation. Who knows, maybe I’ll spring back and become really active again but, if not, at the very least, expect me to finish this fic at some point :)

“My liege.” A guard stumbled into the dungeons, almost tripping over his own feet in his haste. Kyle didn’t recognise him, but he couldn’t know all of his people, try as he might. 

He tore his eyes away from the princess with great difficulty. “What is it?”

“The humans! They’ve come for the princess and the paladin.” Well, that was one way to get Kyle’s attention. Behind him he heard Kenny gasp, but he ignored her, taking his time to properly look at the guard who’d interrupted them. His face was bruised, and he was nursing an injured shoulder. Maybe his almost-tumble hadn’t been due to haste after all. 

“I take it they haven’t come to negotiate with words?” He ran a hand through his red curls in frustration. This was all he needed. 

“Oh boy, you can betcha ass they haven’t!” the annoying paladin called, his voice gleeful. Kyle didn’t understand why the princess was so fond of him; he seemed rather irritating to Kyle. Then again, his current mood wasn’t his best. And it was about to get a whole lot worse. 

“I think they plan to take the stick as well,” the guard said, leaning on the bars of the nearest empty cell and panting heavily. It looked like he was injured worse than Kyle had first suspected. 

“Do you think you can handle defending the cells?” he asked. Hopefully his people would be able to keep their intruders from venturing down this far, so it should give the poor guy a break. The soldier looked relieved at the instruction and nodded eagerly. 

“With my life, my king.” 

“Good.” Kyle turned back to Kenny, who was looking at him with a conflicted expression, like there were words she wanted to say but couldn’t bring herself to voice them. Eventually, she opened her mouth, but Kyle shook his head. “I’ll speak to you again later,” he said bluntly. “Maybe after your wizard king is dead, you’ll be more inclined to speak to me.” 

The alarms finally started chiming as Kyle turned his back on her and started towards the dungeon doors. He nodded at the guard as he passed him and reached out a hand to the door handle when he faltered. Something niggled away at the back of his head, something wrong… 

He went to turn but before he could do much more than start to twist his neck, something smooth and hard smashed down on his head. Distantly, he heard Kenny scream out his name, but the world was already darkening, fading away from him. 

The guard hadn’t had elf ears. 

Kyle had been too distracted with thoughts of Kenny to even take a closer look at the unfamiliar soldier. And she had known, she had debated telling him but had decided to remain silent. Had chosen the human’s over him as she had done before and as she would do again. 

Kyle was such a fucking idiot. 

The darkness finally dragged him under until there was nothing. 

 

Kyle awoke to a throbbing headache. Everything hurt and it took him a moment to place why, his memories hazy and evasive. 

When they came back to him, they came back like a punch in the gut. He shot upright, wincing as the momentum caused his cranium to protest and stars to explode in front of his vision. He blinked them away, feeling how the ground was cold and damp beneath his fingers as he did so. 

Even before he blinked his vision back into focus, he knew he was locked in one of his own cells. 

“Well, well, well. Look how the tides have turned, Kahl.”

Kyle grit his teeth, searching through the gloom to find the wizard king. The fat bastard was clothed in his usual fine attire of rich blues and purples as if he believed fine clothes would make people forget what an asshole he was. He was even wearing his ridiculous hat. One day, Kyle would take great pleasure in taking that hat from that disgustingly greasy head and shoving it so far down the wizard’s throat he choked to death on it. 

One day…

What was infinitely worse than being locked in his own prison while Cartman paced and grinned maniacally, twisting the key to freedom, though, was the fact that princess Kenny flanked him.

She was chewing her lip in worry, but she was free and standing at the side of the king she’d chosen over him. 

Kyle felt anger flood his body. 

“Did you really think you would get away with taking my shit, Kahl?” Cartman said, pausing his pacing to lock eyes with the elf. Kyle’s head still throbbed like a bitch, but he wouldn’t give Cartman the satisfaction of knowing it. He simply stared defiantly back. “Soon the stick will be back in my possession and I will wipe you and your filthy people off the face of the planet as I should have done years ago.” 

“So, you don’t have it yet.” Kyle couldn’t help but feel smug about that. Hopefully Stan had taken it and was riding far away from the elven territory as they spoke. 

“You can’t hide it from me, Kahl.”

“I will do everything in my power to keep it from you.” He couldn’t help his traitorous gaze from flicking towards Kenny. A smirk curled across Cartman’s face as he noticed. 

“Did you think she loved you?” Cartman mocked. “Did you think you ever stood a chance?” 

Kenny’s face remained expressionless. She didn’t even react as Cartman wound his fat fingers around her slender waist. The simple touch made Kyle’s skin crawl. 

He’d been such an idiot. 

Kenny had never…

“What about the stick? Why’d you bring it back?” Kyle spoke directly to the princess, but she kept her lips tightly shut. 

“I asked the princess to return the stick to you,” Cartman said confidently. Kyle saw the lie though. So, Kenny had acted on her own. Perhaps that meant maybe… just maybe she wasn’t lost after all. “She was my spy.” 

Was it Kyle’s imagination or did her lips curl in disgust at his words? 

“So, tell me, Kahl. Make this easier on both of us. Where is the stick?”

“I’ll never tell you,” Kyle spat. He once again tried to catch Kenny’s eye. Maybe if she wasn’t loyal to Cartman she would help? Even if she didn’t love him, she had to know he was better than Cartman, had to know that the wizard king getting his hands on the stick again would mean disaster for millions of innocent people. She couldn’t want that, surely? 

“You don’t get it, do you, Kahl? She doesn’t love you.” Cartman eyed the princess thoughtfully, the glint in his eyes unnerving. “She doesn’t love anyone.”

Kenny’s eyes finally met Kyle’s. They were empty. Dead inside. 

“It took me a long time to learn the truth about our dear princess,” Cartman continued gleefully, having the time of his life. “Her secrets were buried deeply. Weren’t they, my lady?”

Kenny grit her teeth, something finally sparking in those forget-me-not eyes of hers. 

“Yes.” Cartman didn’t seem to care that nobody was responding him him. He was getting the reaction he thrived on from their expressions alone. “I knew there was something up with her. Knew she was hiding things, lying to me but I kept sending out my best men and they kept failing me. Imagine that, being able to hide her secrets so well that the best in the land couldn’t even unearth them.

“Eventually I had to seek out Feldspar the thief. He had once betrayed me, but I had something of interest to him and was willing to surrender it to him in return for the information I sought. Interesting thing about Feldspar is he is ruthless and will stop at nothing to get what he’s after. In this case, it was an identity.”

Kenny had paled dramatically, as if she knew the words Cartman spoke were true. Perhaps she had doubted him originally but, judging from her expression, she now knew the wizard king spoke the truth. And it terrified her. 

“I know who you are princess. I know what you want, and I know that you will stop at nothing to get it.” 

Kenny acted so quickly she might as well have been an assassin over a princess. Maybe she once was. Kyle didn’t have a clue what her secret had been but apparently, she was willing to kill the wizard king to stop him speaking it. 

Unfortunately for her, Cartman seemed to have foreseen her reaction. As quick as she moved, he was faster. 

The knife in her hand fell to the floor with a loud clatter. Her beautiful eyes grew wide. 

Kyle couldn’t help the cry that escaped his throat. He rushed to the bars, gripping them as though he could maybe tear them apart with sheer strength and willpower alone. 

Cartman must have had the blade concealed up his sleeve. Kyle watched with hopeless desperation as he twisted it in Kenny’s gut, and she coughed up a spray of blood. 

Quite calmly, the wizard king used his free hand to wipe away the specs of blood she had coughed over his face. As he removed his blood-soaked dagger he continued to speak. Even as Kenny dropped to her knees, a hand desperately trying to stanch the flow of crimson, he continued to casually tell them his findings. 

“It turns out,” Cartman said, as if he was telling Kyle an interesting fact about the sky, “Kenny actually _is_ a princess by birth. Fancy that.”

Kyle couldn’t tear his eyes away from Kenny. Her shoulders were shaking, the grip on her wound slackening. 

She was _dying._

“I wouldn’t blame yourself too much, Kahl,” Cartman continued. “She played us both for fools. You see, we killed her people. Human’s and elves alike went into her kingdom and slaughtered them all. Well, not quite _all_ it seems…” Cartman’s eyes glistened.

Kyle finally tore his own pair away from Kenny. Cartman couldn’t be telling the truth. He couldn’t be…

There was only one time in their entire history that humans and elves had teamed up. This was before either of them were king, back when their parents ruled the kingdoms and had heard tale of a weapon that granted ultimate power to those who wield it. A simple stick in appearance but oh so much more than that. 

They had formed a temporary alliance and decimated the entire race that protected it. 

The orcs. 

“Yes, Kahl. The orcs.” 

Kyle hadn’t realised he’d said the words aloud until Cartman spoke. 

Kenny finally looked at him then, her bloodshot eyes swivelling to find him. Though her gaze was unfocused, the desperation, the fear, the sorrow… it all shined through, bright as day. 

“Princess Kenny was the daughter of the orc king and an elven woman,” Cartman delighted in saying. “Maybe that’s why she was so drawn to you, seeing as her filthy blood is half elf. Either way, she always planned to kill you, Kahl. I guess she just wanted to get some use out of you first and fuck you silly. Who knows? Maybe after she’d finished with you, she’d have tried it on with me. Maybe I’d have let her.” 

Kyle shook the bars again in rage, desperate to break free. Desperate to pummel his fists into Cartman’s face until it was unrecognisable. 

This time when Kenny spat blood on him, it was intentional. 

“I wouldn’t have fucked you for all the vengeance in the world,” she slurred, weak fumbling fingers catching the hem of Cartman’s robe. He kicked her away, knocking her to the ground where she hissed in pain. 

“Kenny!” Kyle called out desperately as Cartman sunk his foot into her chest, pinning her down. The puddle of blood around her was growing too quickly. 

“She hid with the humans for a time. That’s where I found her. She’d killed the dad and claimed it was an intruder.”

“He was beating them…” Kenny gasped out, unfocused gaze fixed on Kyle as though she felt it was important that he understood. 

“Ah, yes. Feldspar discovered that Stuart McCormick had a family. A wife, a son and a daughter. He claimed that the plague took them but all it took my thief was a little digging to discover that the alcoholic killed them in a fit of rage. I am curious as to why you cared, though, princess.” 

“They… were… my… family,” Kenny gasped out. 

Cartman lifted his foot slightly from her chest. “Interesting,” he said. “Your elven mother, I assume. So, she didn’t die, either? And the two of you pretended to be human and created a new life? The son was older than you, though.” Cartman frowned as he puzzled it out. “Ah, the man’s son from a different marriage.” 

Kenny said nothing. Kyle watched her with tears in his eyes. 

Why hadn’t she told him? If only she had said something… It wasn’t her fault and he could certainly understand her anger. They could have figured it out together. Kyle would have helped her find peace in a way that spared his own people. 

Maybe they could have even used the stick. The stick, Kyle realised, that belonged to her by birthright. 

“My king,” the blond paladin suddenly burst into the prisons. Kyle curled his fists. He should have killed him when he’d had the chance. “Um, well, gee… We can’t find the stick.”

With a scream of rage that sounded much like a toddler who’d had his favourite toy taken away, Cartman rounded once again on Kyle. “Where is it, Kahl!?” 

If they hadn’t managed to find it yet, then hopefully that did indeed mean Stan had taken it far away. “I have no idea,” he said honestly, unable to stop the laugh that followed. 

“Goddamnit, fucking Jew!” Cartman took a deep breath, composing himself. Once calm, he bent down and hauled Kenny to her feet. She cried out weakly. 

Kyle slammed his fists against the bars, doing nothing but injuring himself. “Leave her alone!”

“Something else interesting that Feldspar discovered,” Cartman said conversationally, ignoring Kyle and dragging the dying princess over to Kyle’s cell. “Our dear princess is cursed. You may recall Clyde and his nazi zombies? When I sent the princess to infiltrate him, he did something to her. Fuck knows what, but apparently instead of dying, she becomes a zombie. Can you imagine, Kahl? It’s glorious is what it is.”

With glinting eyes, he opened Kyle’s cell, ungracefully shoved the princess inside and then closed it again. Even if Kyle had time to try and escape, he wouldn’t have. He ran to Kenny instead, cradling her head in his lap, but she only looked up at him with eyes full of fear. Fear, he realised, not for herself but for him. 

“Cartman,” she choked, the words bringing fresh blood to her lips. “Don’t do this.”

“Tell me where the stick is then. I know one of you knows.”

Kenny looked at Kyle again and he realised then that Stan didn’t have the stick. Kenny had hidden it somewhere. She knew where it was, and she was ready to tell Cartman. 

He shook his head. 

With great effort, Kenny reached up a dainty hand and pressed it against Kyle’s damp with tears cheek. His eyes fluttered closed at the touch. 

“Don’t,” he whispered against her palm. 

“I’ll kill you,” Kenny said, every word an effort. “If I don’t… I’ll kill you.”

“I would rather die than let that fatass get the stick,” Kyle said. He placed a hand over the one she held to his cheek and squeezed her fingers. “I’d rather die than live in a world without you.”

“You’re an idiot,” she said weakly, coughing up more blood.

“Maybe so. But I’m an idiot who loves you.” He needed her to know that. Needed her to know that learning the truth didn’t change anything for him. He didn’t care that she was half orc. Didn’t care that she had originally wanted vengeance for her people. 

He needed her to know that any anger and hurt he’d felt towards her was gone now. As she died, his heart was only filled with love.

She got the message. Kenny didn’t have the energy left to be surprised. Instead, a small smile touched her bloodstained lips. 

Before her trembling hand dropped lifelessly from Kyle’s face, she managed to flip Cartman the bird. 

She died in Kyle’s arms as the wizard king roared in rage. 

Kyle didn’t hear any of it. He just rocked the dead princess in his arms, his tears splashing her face as he wondered what came next.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is ridiculously short and long, _long_ overdue, but what can I say? Life has been super hectic and my writers block has been strong. I still plan to finish this one fic if nothing else though, so, if there’s anyone still reading this, please bear with me :)
> 
> Sorry it’s terrible XD

Feldspar the thief didn’t _quite_ find out everything about Kenny, but his slips could be forgiven seeing as they weren’t of real importance. Sure, it might have interested Cartman to know that the princess had actually been born prince Kenneth, but it was hardly useful information in the grand scheme of things. It would have only succeeded in giving the wizard king a moment of cheap thrill to announce that secret to the elf king and even then, he couldn’t guarantee that it would bother Kyle. 

The prince didn’t become the princess until his mother fled with him in the dead of night as the rest of their people were massacred by power hungry human and elves. He had been little more than a baby at the time, unable to protect his people, unable to do much of anything other than wail as his mother fled through the woods, desperately trying to shush him. Fortunately, his terrified cries did not hinder them and both mother and son were able to escape to a nearby village. There, disguised as a human mother and daughter, they found a drunk of a man who was more than willing to accept a pretty woman into his life even if she did come with a screaming brat. 

Even if the princess hadn’t been raised a girl, she was sure she would have chosen it for herself eventually. She _felt_ like a girl, like right down to her very core she was destined to become the princess she later did. And so, when Kenny was ten, she sought out a witch who helped her truly become the princess, right down to the delicate curves she learned to expertly use to her advantage. Even before Stuart McCormick murdered her family, she had been plotting and training to one day destroy the people who had massacred her race. It was satisfying for her to know that, one day, she would wipe them out with the very damn weapon they had slaughtered so many to get their filthy hands on. 

Kenny’s plan had been so neat, so perfect… She had been sure nothing could go wrong. She hadn’t accounted for one thing, though:

She hadn’t accounted for falling in love. 

When life stirred back into her, that love was a distant memory. Her entire head was filled with only one thought and it definitely wasn’t love. 

A pair of brilliant green eyes stared down at her, wide in fear and wonder. From where her head rested on a warm lap, she could feel the racing of a beating heart. Slightly laboured warm breath touched her face and, a moment later was followed by warm fingers. 

“You’re so cold,” a familiar voice said, full of awe. 

She could smell the blood that pounded through his veins. 

She thought she might know him but didn’t really care. She didn’t much care about anything other than sinking her teeth into the warm flesh that held her until she was bathed in the delicious blood hidden beneath it. 

He smelled delectable. 

He smelled like he had been created specifically for her to consume. As if his only purpose in the world was to be hers. 

She reached for him – 

 

Kyle remembered Clyde’s army of darkness clearly. He didn’t think he’d ever forget it. That’s why, when Kenny looked at him like she wanted to bite a chunk out of him, he knew she probably _did_. As she reached for him, he backed away sharpish, very aware that they were locked in a small prison cell together and she was very quickly coming back to herself. Or, as much as that was possible. The Kenny he knew was gone, whatever was left was driven only by hunger and primitive urges. 

If he wanted to survive, he’d have to take her out. Kyle wasn’t sure he _could_ , though. Watching her die had shattered him into a thousand tiny fragment. Even if she was now a monster, he wasn’t sure he could watch her die again, especially at his own hand. 

What was curious, however, was that anyone had that information in the first place. The information about what happened to Kenny when she died. Because she hadn’t died before so how would anybody know what happened when she did? 

Except –

Kenny had clearly known what was about to happen to her. She had known what she would become and what it would drive her to want. Sure, it could have just been because she, too, had witnessed the army of darkness but that didn’t seem right. 

The gears in Kyle’s head were working overtime trying to add it up. There was something he was missing. Something that just didn’t make sense…

How could Kenny know what would become of her? How had Feldspar been able to find out?

The princess was on her feet now, unsteady, swaying as though drunk, but on her feet nonetheless. There was nowhere for Kyle to run. The cell they were in was small and Kenny would soon be upon him. 

He really was trapped in a kill or be killed situation. 

“Heh,” Cartman laughed from the other side of the bars. Kyle had forgotten he was there but _of course_ the fatass wouldn’t want to miss this show. “Look’s like you’re out of options, Jew.”

“You’re a real piece of work,” Kyle grunted, not taking his eyes off the still swaying, bloody princess. Even pale and drenched in red, she was beautiful. If he was truly going to die, being killed by the woman he loved wasn’t so bad. Maybe there was enough of her left that she would be merciful and kill him quick. 

“Now now, Kahl. Is that any way to speak to the man who holds the key to your freedom in his hands?”

“Like you’d really let me go,” Kyle said, backing up until he felt the cold, slimy dungeon wall against his back. Cartman was just trying to distract him. While Kenny was slowly wobbling her way over, she looked hesitant, like she was waiting for an opportune moment where Kyle might look the other way. Like she couldn’t bring herself to attack while his eyes remained on hers. 

Kyle tried his best not to blink as he watched her. 

“Kenny,” he said softly. 

“She can’t understand you,” Cartman said gleefully. “She a monster.” At that, Kenny snarled, her face twisting angrily as her gaze snapped round to Cartman. The wizard king sunk back a little, his smugness faltering. 

Kyle felt his heart flutter.

The animal-like instants were strong, but, somewhere in her, Kenny was still somewhat aware. 

She wasn’t lost. Not completely. 

There was still hope.


End file.
